1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cameras capable of providing users with ease for viewing and focusing adjustment.
2. Description of Related Art
To photograph an object with a camera, a photographer must perform viewing and focusing to have the object sharply focused at a desired angle of view (the term xe2x80x9cviewingxe2x80x9d herein used is intended to mean setting an angle of view, i.e., selecting an image area). For these viewing and focusing operations, the following techniques are known in the art. One technique is to use a viewfinder for cameras with a viewfinder mechanism, as shown in FIG. 11, for example. Another technique is to use a focusing glass frame (i.e., a ground glass disposed on the image-formation plane) for large-format cameras (using 4xc3x975 or larger films) having no viewfinder mechanism. Still another technique is to directly capture images of the object.
By the way, when the photographer takes a picture of a high-rise building from a low position in a manner looking up at the building, the higher parts of the building look narrower in the picture. This is due to distortions derived from a lens or lenses through which nearby objects turn out to be large and distant objects small in respect to their relative distance and positions. In order to compensate for these distortions, a tilt/shift mechanism is available. With this mechanism, buildings, etc. can be pictured upright with such distortions corrected.
However, use of the viewfinder for viewing and focusing requires mirror raising control during capturing of images, thus resulting in inefficiency, while use of the focusing glass frame entails time and labor since the user must detach a photoelectric converting section, and then attach the focusing glass frame, thus resulting likewise in inefficiency. The technique of directly capturing images of the object involves much time in capturing the images and is hence inefficient. Especially when a one-dimensional sensor is used as a sensor for scanning the images, such a sensor consumes much time in making scanning movements.
Further, common to all the techniques known in the art is the fact that it is only the photographer looking into the camera that can perform viewing and focusing. Thus, to adjust the position of an object, for example, the photographer, who is tied down to looking into the camera, has to instruct his/her crew members to do so, which is cumbersome.
Still further, to handle the camera with the tilt/shift mechanism, the user must be skillful in performing operations such as rise, fall, shift, tilt, and swing. Thus, novice photographers have difficulty operating this mechanism in order to take distortion-free pictures.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a camera-type image input apparatus that allows users to execute efficient viewing and focusing and to take pictures free of distortion.
According to the apparatus of the invention, the light-emitting elements disposed in the light-receiving area irradiate an object through the lens to form an irradiation pattern, and hence viewing and focusing can be performed based on the irradiation pattern.
According to the apparatus of the invention, to receive the light from the object through the lens, the light-receiving element is set in the light-receiving area, while to irradiate the object through the lens, the light-emitting elements are set in the light-receiving area. Therefore, accuracy can be improved when viewing and focusing adjustments are made based on the irradiation pattern formed on the side of the object by the light-emitting elements.
Therefore, the mechanism can be realized easily, which switches between the light-receiving element and the light-emitting elements.
The mechanism can be downsized, which switches between the light-receiving element and the light-emitting elements.
Therefore, two-dimensional images can be captured by the one-dimensional sensor.
Accuracy can be improved when viewing and focusing adjustments are made based on the irradiation pattern formed on the side of the object by the light-emitting elements.
When such a light-receiving device is attached to a commercially available large-format camera in place of its film back, the large-format camera can function similarly to the camera-type image input apparatus described first of the present invention.
When such a light-receiving device is attached to a commercially available large-format camera in place of its film back, the large-format camera can function similarly to the camera-type image input apparatus described second of the present invention.